The Best Naughty Dog Games: All 16 Ranked

Last of Us – Releasing in between Uncharted 3 and Uncharted 4, The Last of Us released very shortly before the release of the PlayStation 4. With one of the most emotional openings and ending of any video game, The Last of Us is stunning from start to finish. The blossoming relationship between the two main characters is told perfectly in a story of loss and hope. It is a masterpiece in every way and is one of the greatest video games of all time.
Uncharted 2 – The game that made Naughty Dog THE developer to beat in terms of storytelling, design, character development, set-pieces, and performance. Drake’s Fortune was good but Among Thieves was a step up in every way. It began the trail of masterpieces that has continued ever since, seeing the series end this year. Uncharted 2 is a close to perfect as you could wish to see in gaming.
Uncharted 4 – The most recent release in Naughty Dog’s catalogue, A Thief’s End, is the new benchmark for what is possible in gaming. Top-notch performances, beautiful visuals, and the studio’s standard mix of solid gameplay and emotional storytelling make Uncharted 4 the game to beat on Sony’s console. It is a perfect ending to the adventures of Nathan Drake.
Crash 2 – Crash Bandicoot 2 is the best game Naughty Dog had released before 2009. Graphically, it was in a league of its own on the PlayStation, with gameplay design to match. It is the game that announced Crash as one of Sony’s iconic characters and saw him become as mascot for the company for years afterwards.
Uncharted 3 – Drake’s Deception, the third game in the Uncharted series and the final one on the PlayStation 3, is a masterpiece in character development and storytelling. Surprise moments, thrilling set-pieces, and emotional scenes make it one of the PlayStation 3’s best games and continued Naughty Dog’s streak of releasing incredible games.
Jak II – Jak II is a darker and more mature platformer than any gamers had seen before its release in 2003. The story is dark and it is filled with characters you might love or might hate. It looked fantastic at the time and played even better, making it the best game in the Jak and Daxter series.
Jak 3 – The Jak and Daxter series shows the potential that came to fruition in the Uncharted series on the PlayStation 3. Just as Uncharted does, Jak 3 melds action, storytelling, and beautiful visuals superbly. The solid platforming also put it up there with the best in the genre at the time.
Crash Bandicoot – The original Crash Bandicoot, released for the PlayStation in 1996, was the game that announced Naughty Dog as a world class developer. For the time, it was beautiful game and although its gameplay could be awkward at times, it was an undeniably fun game. It also introduced gamers to one of PlayStation’s most famous mascots. It may not hold up perfectly today, but it is one of the most important games in both Sony and Naughty Dog’s histories.
Crash Team Racing – Naughty Dog’s first experiment with the driving genre, Crash Team Racing, turned out to be a much better idea than many expected. First released in 1999, it received acclaim. It managed to do everything you’d expect of a kart racer, rivalling Mario Kart in terms of fun and overall quality. In terms of track design, weapon quality, and sense of speed it proved a worthy rival to Nintendo’s famous kart racer. Some even consider Naughty Dog’s game to be the best kart racer of that generation.
Crash Bandicoot: Warped -The third Crash Bandicoot game was originally released on Sony’s PlayStation in 1998. Met with critical acclaim when it was released, its superb audio, detailed visuals, and fun gameplay came together to make for a excellent platformer. A few critics even suggest that it is the best game in the Crash series.
Jak and Daxter 1 – Jak and Daxter was Naughty Dog’s second mascot led platforming series, following Crash Bandicoot. It had a lot to live up to, and as expected it was critically praised, going on to sell 2 million copies by 2007. The Precursor Legacy is funny, an epic adventure, and is a good starting point for one of the best 3D platformer franchises on the PlayStation 2.
Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune – Drake’s Fortune is the first game in the excellent Uncharted series and introduced Naughty Dog as one of the developers working with Sony’s consoles. It lacked variety is gameplay and environments but Drake’s Fortune introduced the characters we have come to love and paved the way for the masterpieces that followed.
Jak X: Combat Racing – In 2005, Naughty Dog attempted to mimic the success of Crash Team Racing with another driving based spin-off of one of their popular series, this time the Jak and Daxter series. Although it is considered the worst game they developed for the PlayStation 2, it is still a more than serviceable vehicular combat game.
Keef the Thief – Keef the Thief was released in 1989 for the Apple IIGS and then later ported for the Amiga and MS-DOS. It was also published by EA and received mixed reviews. It was the studio’s first game under the name Naughty Dog and they quickly learned to develop games with easier to pronounce titles.
Rings of Power – Rings of Power was the second game developed under the name Naughty Dog. It was released in 1991 for Sega Genesis; published by EA. It is a RPG in which the player takes on the role of a young sorcerer whose quest is to collect 11 Rings of Power. It wasn’t received favourably, with its controls being one of the main issues.
Way of the Warrior – Way of the Warrior is a fighting game that was published by Universal Interactive Studios in 1994. Playable on the 3DO, Way of the Warrior was the last game released before Crash Bandicoot and although its graphics and animations were praised, its reception was mostly negative.

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16 - Way of the Warrior

Way of the Warrior is a fighting game that was published by Universal Interactive Studios in 1994. Playable on the 3DO, Way of the Warrior was the last game released before Crash Bandicoot and although its graphics and animations were praised, its reception was mostly negative.